I recently finished reading Radha: Wrath of the Maeju by Rishi Amatya. But this is not a book review but rather an appreciation post about the promotional strategy behind the book. The marketing enthusiast in me (and once an attentive student in Marketing class) could not hold back from admiring the ingenious promotional strategy for the book. Radha is published by Safu an imprint of Quixote’s Cove, and the publishing team has been behind these engaging promotional ideas.
Books deserve all the marketing in the world! We need more readers, more conversations around literature and art, and promotional strategies can help propel this goal forward. Younger readers, especially the Gen Zzz, can be a good target audience to reach through such strategies.
Seeing the promotional effort for Radha also instils hope in me. As someone who writes and works in language, arts, and literature, I often come across statements like, “Authors/books have not been marketed properly, outside Nepal authors are treated as celebrities but here nobody cares about them.” Hearing such statements disheartens me. But the precedence set by the campaign for Radha makes me hopeful. Books have always been cool, sometimes we might need a little reminder.
Radha is part mythological, part fantasy fiction based in Patan. If that was not exciting enough, there are some real-time activities that the publishing team and the author have been carrying out to promote the book.
Treasure Hunts
The author, Rishi Amatya, is a heritage interpreter and has designed treasure hunts around Patan relating to the myths and folklore around the city. The book launch also featured a treasure hunt game for audiences. How exciting!
Heritage Walks
The story is set in Patan and around Patan Durbar Square, so a heritage walk around the city is the perfect thing to do. Real locations from the Durbar Square area feature in the book. These places have important plot moments for the characters and the story. The author has carried out multiple heritage walks for groups covering these areas. Real-time product activation.
As I read the book, I was recalling Patan and the Durbar Square out of memory. I’ll have to visit the locations soon, this time with some extra information about the myths behind them.
There are tours around cities of Italy following the cues and locations mentioned in Dan Brown’s books. We should definitely try the same for Patan following Radha.
Apart from being a promotional activity, the heritage walk also doubles up to raise awareness, curiosity, and appreciation for art and culture in the heart of Patan. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Both the treasure hunt and heritage walk give audiences a chance to experience the book beyond reading – there’s something to do, see, and be involved in. And experience is one of the most crucial elements in marketing.
Storytelling sessions
A storytelling session was also organized at Sattya Media Collective, where the author shared mythical stories from the Kathmandu Valley. There was a bonfire to emulate the age-old tradition of telling stories around the fire.
Book marketing is a real thing. And while the odds are often high in the Nepali market, the promotion for Radha proves that it is worth a try. In Maya Angelou’s words, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I’m sure everyone who joined the events and even those who saw them on social media felt something – the magic of storytelling and books, the magic of seeing a place around them get a different life on the written page.
Get your copy of Radha and begin your journey around Patan. Available in all major bookstores around Nepal, also shipping internationally.
Photograph credits: SAFU
The Wordcastle 